Sunday, August 3, 2014

Russian Kotlety

Little Russian "hamburger sliders".

Russian Kotletyby Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime8.3.14

Kotlety, or meat cutlets, come in all shapes and sizes and span several cuisines.

I first sampled a version of Persian kotlety back in the early 1980's when travelling with some Persian friends and stopping for a picnic. We had them cold with chopped onion and sliced tomato on pieces of flat bread.

The Russian version is a little bit different in that it uses pork which would not be seen in a Persian recipe generally. The spices are also different, more reflective of Russian cuisine, while still having some common characteristics with Middle Eastern cuisine. The few other differences in the recipe are my own and reflect my take on how these should be, as I have my own ideas of course.

These would be great as an unusual breakfast sausage, or on little slider buns with the usual burger trappings. Of course, you can always eat them outright while they are still warm and crisp. It's the kind of thing memories are made of.

I hope you enjoy any time of day.

~Sue

Russian KotletyServes: 6-8Time: 30 minDifficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound ground pork

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup instant mashed potato flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup dried plain breadcrumbs

Method:

Mix together all ingredients except breadcrumbs thoroughly.

Form into meatballs by tablespoonfuls (I use a cookie dough scoop.)

Pour breadcrumbs onto a plate, roll meatballs around in the crumbs until they are coated, and flatten with the palm of your hand (it should look like the shape of a breakfast sausage patty.)

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet and brown kotlety on both sides until thoroughly cooked; drain on paper toweling.